Stop-motion for knitting-machines.



CfH. PERKINS. STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED APR. 7' I9I6.

1,200,018. Patented Oct. 3,1916.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET I I Divan/1607". 2 Charles fljierkyzs.

Patented Oct. 3,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 C. IMPERKINS.

STOP MOTION FOR KNITTLING MACHINES. APPLICATION men APR- 1. I916.

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TED STA l CHARLES H. PERKINS, OF LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO CRANE'MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF LAKEPORT, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

STOP-MQTION KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3%, was.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES H..PERKINS, of Lakeport, in the city of Laconia, county of Belknap, and State of New Hampshire, have invented a certain new and Improved Stop -Motion for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The stop motion constituting the present invention is intended to automatically stop the machine in case a needle is bent, or a bunch of yarn is fed to the needles, O'I"1I1 any other contingency which interferes with the properaction of the yarn feed.

The improvement is illustrated in the accompanying'drawings in which- Figure 1, is a plan View of a portlon of a knitting machine equipped wlth the 1mprovement. Fig. 2, is a detail, view of a portion of the stop mechanism. Fig. 3, is a vertical section in the plane lndlcated by the line 3-3, in Fig. 1. Fig. 4:, is a vertical section in the plane indicated bythe line 4 1:,

in Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a vertical section in the plane indicated by the line 55 in Fig. 1..

Fig. 6, is a detail view of a portion of the stop mechanism. i

The improved stop motion is shown in the I drawings'as applied to'a circular multiple feed ribbing knitting machine having two sets of independent spring bearded needles, and in which the needles and their carriers rotate, their actuating devices and the feeds being mounted oil fixed supports. The knitting machine illustrated is of the same general character as thatset forth in United States Letters Patent No. 880,013, granted February 25, 1908, to John S. Crane. The accompanying drawings illustrate only. a

'portion of the lmitting machine, two yarn feeds being shown.

Each of the yarn feeds comprises a rotat ing feed wheel A, which may be of the character illustrated in said Patent No. 880,013., or of the character illustrated either in Fig.

18, or in Fig. 20, of United States Letters Patent No. 1,027,034, granted May 21, 1912, to Crane Manufacturing Company, 'assignee of John S. Crane. Each yarn feed wheel A, is mounted to rotate upon a movable support consisting of a bracket B, which is ,mounted to swing upon the bed plate C, of

a the machine, its axis being indicated at a.

Each yarn feed supporting bracket B, is'

maintained in the normal working position by means of a spring D,- which holds it' against a fixed stop I). This spring suflices to maintain the yarn feed in working position but yields readily in case of need to permit the yarn feed support to move. Above each rotating feed wheel A, is a stationary plate E, rigidly secured to the support B, in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 20, of said Patent No..1,027,034. In case a needle is bent, or a bunch of yarn is fed to one of the feed wheels, the corresponding support B, swings on its axis in the direction indicated by the arrow 0, in Fig. 1, against the tension of the spring D. This movement of the feed wheel carrying support is utilized to effect the automatic stoppage of the machine.

As shown in Fig. 4, each plate E, has a vertically extending pin d. Alongside and in the path of this pin d, is the outer end of a transmitter consisting of a lever F, which is centrally pivoted at e, to the stationary plate G of the machine which carries the dial cams.

The inner end of each transmitter F, extends over the top of a loose stop ring U, which is similar to the stop ring shown at U, in said Patent No. 880,013. This stop ring is concentric with the central axis of the knitting machine and it is mounted to have a limited rotary movement on the fixed cap plate H. As illustrated it is loosely guided by fixed guides f. This stop .transmitter F, is swung onits pivot and the stop ring U,-is'turned in the direction of the arrow 9', shown in Fig. 1. This rotary movement of the stop ringG, is utilized to automatically stop the machine through appropriate shipping mechanism and inter mediate cooperating connections.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the ship-ping mechanism which (affects the stoppage of the machine issimilar to that shown in said Patent No. 880,013, and for convenience of comparison similar reference characters are here employed. The machine selected for illustration is driven from a belt pulley 74, by a friction clutch of well known character which comprises a loose sliding cam 75, the clutch being such that when the cam is farthest from the pulley the machine is driven, and when nearest the pulley the machine is stopped. This sliding cam is moved out and in by a bell crank shipper lever 76, being moved out by a spring 77, to stop the machine, and being moved in to start it again by the han- (lle 78. This shipper lever 70, is caught and held in its inner position by a catch lever 79, which is moved automatically to catch the lever by a spring 80. The free end of the upper hr 'izontal arm of this catch lever 79, stands normally (that is when the machine is running) just below a knock-off pin 81, which slides vertically in a guide bracket 82, secured to the bed plate C. This knock-off pin is forced downward quickly by a spring 83, and is lifted by a hand knob 84. It is held uplifted by a latch J, which enters an annular recess h, therein. This latch J, is carried by an upwardly extending crank arm K, on a rock shaft L, which is journaled in the bracket 82, as illustrated in Fig. 3. This rock shaft L, is maintained in the position to uphold the knock-off pin 81, by means of a spring 2'. At its inner end this rock shaft has a downwardly extending crank arm M, having a toe j, at its lower end. This crank arm M, is adjustable on the rock shaft. This toe is adjacent the outer downturned end of a hammer N, which is pivotally connected at its middle at k, to the fixed ring G. The inner end of this hammer N, is forked (see Fig. 1) to straddle a vertically extending pin 0, carried by the stop ring U. WVhen, therefore, the stop ring U, is turned in the direction of the arrow 9 (Fig. l) the hammer N, is turned so as to rock the rock shaft L, in opposition to the spring 2', thereby withdrawing the latch J, from the annular recess 71., of the knock-off pin 81. Thereupon, the knock-off pin is moved quickly downward by its spring 83, encountering the outer end of the horizontal arm of the. catch lever 7 9, and swinging said lever. The swinging of the catch lever 79, releases the shipper lever 7 6. There'upon the spring 77, swings the shipper lever 76, so as to slide the cam 75, to its idle position thereby stopping the machine. To set the machine again going, after the attendant has cured the defect, the support B, carrying the feed wheel at the place where the defect occurred, is restored to its normal working position by the spring D. Thereupon the attendant lifts the knock-off pin 81. by means of the knob 84, until the latch J, springs into the recess h, under the action of the spring 2'. This swing of the rock shaft L, into normal working position acting through the crank arm M, and the hammer N, restores the stop ring U, and the affected transmitter F. to normal working position. The attendant then moves the shipper handle 78, to set the machine going, and the spring 80, restores the catch lever 79, to the position where it catches and holds the shipper lever in working position.

The rock shaft L, has a thumb piece Q, by means of which said shaft may be rocked and the machine stopped at the will of th attendant.

The vertical pin, shown in Figs. 3 and 0, as carried by the crank arm M, is the same in function as pin 86, shown in Fig. 4, in said Patent No. 880,013, and described therein beginning at line 60, page 2. Its purpose is to rock the shaft L, and to stop the machine in case of an imperfection in the fabric.

I claim 1. A knitting machine having, in combination, a central cap plate, a plurality of yarn feeds, each comprising aswinging supporting bracket and a feed wheel mounted thereon; a spring normally maintaining each yarn feed in working position; a pin carried by each bracket and extending upwardly above each feed wheel; a movable stop-ring on the cap plate cooperating with all of the yarn feeds, and having a shoulder for each yarn feed; a centrally pivoted transmitter on the cap plate for each yarn feed extending at its outer end into the path of one of said pins and at its inner end alongside one of said shoulders; and shipping mechanism operatively connected with and controlled by said stop-ring.

2. A knitting machine having, in combination, a central cap plate, a plurality of yarn feeds, each comprising a movable support and a feed wheel mounted thereon, a spring normally maintaining each yarn feed in working position; a pin carried by each support and extending upwardly above each feed wheel; a movable stop-ring on the cap plate cooperating with all of the yarn feeds, v and having a shoulder for each yarn feed; a transmitter on the cap plate for each yarn feed extending into the path of one of said pins and alongside one of said shoulders; and shipping mechanism operatively connected with and controlled by said stopring.

3. A knitting machine having, in combination, a central cap plate, a plurality of movable yarn feed supports; a spring normally maintaining each yarn feed support in working position; a movable stop-ring on the cap plate cooperating with all of the yarn feeds, 'and having a shoulder for each yarn feed; a transmitter on the cap plate for each yarn feed extending at its outer end into the path of a part of one of said yarn feeds and at its inner end alongside one of said shoulders; and shipping mechanism operatively connected with and controlled by said stop-ring.

4. A knitting machine stop motion having, in combination, a knock-off pin; a rock shaft having a crank arm with a projecting latch which engages said pin; a, spring can be released from the pin at Will.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

CHARLES H. PERKINS. 

